Pyramidal Orchid
Slender plant with a height of 15 to 30 cm and 3 to 8 foliage leaves which are are rather small, lanceolate and unspotted. The loose inflorescence consists of 2 to 15 flowers, each one supported by a broad and long bract. The spur is directed downwards. Petals and all sepals form a loose hood, but the sepals can also be spreaded. The labellum is clearly divided, with two lateral und one middle lobe.
Taxonomic discussion
In 1753, Linné described the plant as Orchis pyramidalis. Louis Claude Marie Richard (1754-1821) realized, that the species doesn’t belong to Orchis and described it as Anacamptis pyramidalis (1817).
White colour of flowers
The colours of the flower range from bright pink to red and dark crimson. The variability concerning the form of inflorescence or the time of flowering is influenced by ecological conditions of the location. White-flowered plants are more common in the Eastern Mediterranean; in some places they form greater populations. In 2010, Pierre Delforge has described the white-flowered form of plants in Western Greece as Anacamptis pyramidals var. nivea. H. Kretzschmar a.o. (Die Orchideengattungen…, 2007, S.57) only speak of the ‘albiflora’ inflorescence.
Habitat, bloom and distribution
Anacamptis papilionacea is growing in grasslands and bright woods, up to 1800 m. Bloom is from February to May. With the exception of Northern Europe, the species is growing almost in all parts of Europe.